The U.S. Government has a paid-up license in this invention and the right in limited circumstances to require the patent owner to license others on reasonable terms as provided for by the terms of contract No. Sub. 80X-SL416V under DE-AC05-840R21400.
The present invention relates to closed fluid cycle energy generation systems driven by externally fueled heat sources.
Although densely populated areas of industrialized nations are efficiently served by public and quasi-public utility energy suppliers of electricity and fuel gas, most of the habitable rural regions of the earth remain unserved and with dim prospects for service in the reasonably foreseeable future. Where economically justified, these needs are presently served by portable, internal combustion engine driven generator units fueled by highly refined fossil fuels. The relative expense of these fuels, however, severely limits the use and economic justification of such units.
Most parts of the humanly habitable world have access to indigenous fuel sources such as wood, biomass methane, solar and geothermal. However, the variety of fuel types and specific heats defy any standards for the manufacture of equipment suitable to utilize these diverse fuels.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for producing useable energy forms such as electrical and/or rotary mechanical and/or space or water heating and/or comfort cooling that is inexpensively adaptable to any type of solid, liquid or gaseous fuel source including geothermal, solar and nuclear sources.
Another object of the present invention is a relatively small energy generation station capable of an unusually high thermal efficiency.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a point of use power generation facility having an unusually high fuel efficiency to remote consumption facilities.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a totally self-contained energy generation system suitable for operation with biomass generated methane, solar incidence and nuclear fuel sources.